Finalist for the Heideman Award at Actors Theatre of Louisville

So excited to learn that "The Presentation," one of my ten-minute plays, is a finalist for the 2017 Heideman Award at Actors Theatre of Louisville. The play was submitted for consideration of this award as well as inclusion in ATL's National Ten-Minute Play Contest.

Established in 1989, the National Ten-Minute Play Contest remains one of the most enduring and significant means by which the literary staff at Actors Theatre of Louisville connects with American playwrights and is introduced to vibrant new voices for the stage. The Heideman Award was established in 1979. Made possible by the late Ted Heideman, a Louisvillian, the $1,000 cash prize is bestowed annually upon the winner of the National Ten-Minute Play Contest (1990 – present).

Won't know final results until February, but I'm honored to be selected as a finalist for this prestigious prize.

awards, playwriting, theater, writingDeborah ValentiHeideman Award, Actors Theatre of Louisville, National Ten Minute Play Contest
"Chain Link" at Nylon Fusion in NYC
Skyler Gallun and Nikita Tewani, as directed by Lori Kee at Nylon Fusion (NYC). All photos credit: Al Foote III

Skyler Gallun and Nikita Tewani, as directed by Lori Kee at Nylon Fusion (NYC). All photos credit: Al Foote III

My new short play, "Chain Link," will be produced as part of Nylon Fusion's "This Round's On Us" series Friday June 3 and Saturday June 4 at 9:00 p.m. The evenings will also feature a World Premiere by the brilliant John Patrick Shanley.

Directed by Lori Kee, the short play features Nikita Tewani and Skyler Gullen.

The performances will take place at TADA! NYC, 15 W. 28th Street, New York, NY 10001. Tickets available here and more info at NylonFusion.org. Catch it if you can!

live performance, play, playwriting, theater, writingDeborah ValentiNylon Fusion, John Patrick Shanley
"The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!" in Playwrights Union "First Peek" Series

My newest play, "The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!" is part of the Playwrights Union "First Peek" play reading series on Sunday June 5 at 2:00 p.m. sharp, at the VS Theater, 5453 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90019. Tickets are FREE and available at Eventbrite (it's a small space, please get your tickets in advance to avoid crushing disappointment).

Synopsis for "The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!":
When a very modern kid with no vowels in his name rents a bedroom in the small home of a small-town Texas couple during a big desert music festival weekend, and that couple is struggling with grief and progress and how to find their tiny safe place in a big scary rapidly changing world, and that kid kindly decides to dose their applesauce with his own personalized candy-flip of party psycho-pharmaceuticals, and then that couple finds themselves in a 1970s-era game show experiencing a truth reckoning that shakes the very foundation of their marriage, hilarity ensues.

I mean, COME ON.

comedy, live performance, play, theater, playwritingDeborah ValentiPlaywrights Union
Singing "People Person"

Last fall I had the thrill of performing a song from a new musical called "Ghost(s) -- The Musical" in a Los Angeles showcase called "A Little New Music" at Rockwell Table and Stage.  The song "People Person" is sung by a character named DeeDee Dupree, the evil, uh... misunderstood real estate developer, and it was written by the brilliant Brian Woodbury.  Enjoy!

comedy, theater, actingDeborah ValentiBrian Woodbury, Ghost(s)